Guinness lovers aren't sure what to think after a new blend of the iconic Irish stout became available in pubs.
The controversial “60/40” pint combines non-alcoholic Guinness 0.0 with the original beer to produce a low-alcohol drink.
This concoction reduces the 4.2 percent ABV of a pint of Guinness to around 1.7 percent ABV.
As reported by The telegraphThe 60/40 pint is still made using the traditional two-stage pour, with the Guinness 0.0 being poured first.
Among the first to offer the hybrid pint was Dublin's Palmerstown House Pub, which wrote on social media: “Try the new '60/40' at Palmerstown House. All the Guinness character, just a little lighter!”
“Great for when you feel like having a pint, but with a little less alcohol! Just order a '60/40'.”
However, not everyone applauds the innovation.
One person commented on the pub's post, calling it “a load of nonsense” and another argued it “should be illegal”.
“What's the point of this?” a third person asked, and another person wrote, “Full pints or nothing.”
Others, however, have praised the “high-appeal thinking” behind the idea, pointing to Guinness Mid-Strength, a 2.8 percent ABV low-alcohol stout that was test marketed in Limerick, Ireland, between 2006 and 2008.
Darah Curran, known to his 165,000 social media followers as The Guinness Guru, attributes the 60/40 look to marketing, saying The telegraph: “This is obviously done to go viral and play fair because it obviously works.
“I know if I make a video about this it will get clicks and views, so I'll probably make a video testing it, so fair play to them in that regard.
“If you want to go out and have 10 pints and feel like you've only had four, play fair.”
Curran added: “People's quick reaction will always be that this is absolutely sacrilegious, it should be illegal. Is it ruining the classic pint of Guinness? Maybe it is, but just don't order it.
“It's an original idea. I don't think it's for me. I think most people's opinion will be that it's all or nothing, it's 100 percent or zero.”
The move comes as more young adults turn away from alcohol. In October, a survey revealed that half of young adults now opt for “low” alcohol products to moderate their consumption.
Almost half of UK adults (44 per cent) choose nonalcoholic or low-alcohol drinks to moderate their alcohol consumption, up from 31 per cent in 2018, according to the data.
